Press Releases

These press releases are information we send to industry publications about new products and new technology.

INDIANAPOLIS—Hurco announced the
release of WinMax8TM,
the most substantial upgrade to its WinMax control software since it was
introduced in 2006. A...Read more
>>Tags:

INDIANAPOLIS—Hurco announced the
release of WinMax8TM,
the most substantial upgrade to its WinMax control software since it was
introduced in 2006. A free trial of WinMax8 is available at www.hurco.com/winmax.

WinMax8 includes advancements to
existing features that make them more robust and a number of new features that will
prove revolutionary to the industry, which resulted in four patent awards for
Hurco, according to Greg Volovic, Executive Vice President of Technology and
Operations for Hurco.

“A feature we call UltiMotion is probably the biggest advancement
in control technology since we launched WinMax. UltiMotion is the result of years
of research and development, and is a combination of Hurco’s proprietary
control technologies and advanced modern control theories. The primary benefit
to customers includes the ability to cut higher quality parts in a shorter
period of time, especially for high speed machining, parts with complex
geometries, and jobs with repetitive tasks, such as drilling and tapping,”
explained Volovic.

UltiMotion’s 3D compensation of
machine squareness (perpendicularity), compensation of the mechanical system
dynamics, and advanced motion control improve the system accuracy. Hurco’s
unique acceleration and vibration control system reduces vibration and results
in smoother motion without sacrificing speed, which means better surface
quality and longer machine life, according to Volovic.

UltiMotion’s rapid
cornering capability allows the spindle to travel through corners at high speed
with negligible deviation without overshooting or stopping. This is especially
beneficial in reducing cycle time when machining parts with many repetitive
tasks, such as drilling or tapping. For rigid tapping, UltiMotion deploys a
coordinated motion control mechanism that monitors the spindle angle at all
times and controls the axes to follow the spindle position. It also has the
flexibility to choose higher speed/rpm to retract the tap tool of out the hole.
Volovic says this means customer will get better tap performance in less time.

UltiMotion also includes a
proprietary dynamic variable lookahead mechanism. Unlike traditional lookahead,
it doesn’t require a fixed number of blocks. Instead, the control evaluates the
geometry and motion profile and makes sure there is enough lookahead
information to make optimized maneuvers. The patented lookahead mechanism is
another reason why better surface quality can be obtained in a shorter period
of time, according to Hurco’s Volovic. Additionally, UltiMotion is available
for both conversational and G-code programs.

Other new features include
UltiMonitor, Absolute Tool Length, and Tool Change Optimization. UltiMonitor combines
networking/internet with Extended Shop Floor, which is a machine monitoring,
communications, and diagnostics feature. Absolute Tool Length makes the tool
setup and part setup independent from each other, which means the tool
information only needs to be entered once for that tool and can be used on
other Hurco machining centers. Tool Change Optimization analyzes the part
program and automatically reduces the number of tool changes by rearranging the
program for optimal efficiency.

While Hurco is known for
its conversational programming, the WinMax8 upgrade includes multiple
enhancements to the NC side of the control, such as Tool Review for NC, probing
offsets that take full advantage of the 99 work offsets available, and NC
Cutter Compensation with Work Plane Transformation.

Based
in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hurco manufactures sophisticated,
yet shop floor friendly machine tools designed for virtually any application
and budget. The flagship VMX Series is a production-oriented line of mills
designed for speed while the high performance TMX Series is its
counterpart in the lathe category. The popular VM Series of mills and the TM
Series of lathes combine small footprints with huge work cubes and
best-in-class features. The U Series and SR Series feature application machines
with 5-axis technology. The TMM Series includes lathes equipped with live
tooling for multi-tasking. Each machining center and turning center from Hurco
includes the integrated Hurco control with WinMax® which has
multiple programming methods and is the most efficient way for machine shops to
increase productivity.